The present invention relates generally to various vehicle accessory assemblies, including vanity mirror assemblies, mirror and light assemblies, and the like, and more particularly to such accessory assemblies adapted for mounting on a vehicle visor, or on other vehicle interior panels.
Automotive vehicle visors having lighted vanity mirrors are well-known in the art. Such vanity mirrors are normally located on the side of the visor facing the passenger when the visor is in a lowered position and frequently have hinged doors that pivot toward and away from the visor and thus require a relatively large amount of opening space. Typically such devices can be adjusted to the desired reflecting angle through adjustment of the visor, or by adjustment of the angle of the mirror relative to the visor. These vanity mirror assemblies, as well as various lights and/or other vehicle accessories, are frequently provided for the comfort and convenience of forward seat passengers.
Many of the previous vehicle accessory assemblies mentioned above have performed well and have added to the convenience, comfort, and attractiveness of vehicle interiors in which they have been employed. However, it is an object of the present invention to improve even further on the utility and attractiveness of such vehicle accessory assemblies by providing a neat, attractive, up-scaled accessory assembly, which can incorporate a vanity mirror, a vanity mirror and light, or other vehicle accessory arrangements.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a vanity or other accessory assembly with a non-pivoting door, which does not therefore require the amount of opening space that is needed for operating an outwardly-pivoting, hinged door.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a vehicle accessory assembly that is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install, either as standard or optional equipment on a vehicle, and that provides a substantial improvement in consumer-perceived quality.
According to the present invention, a vehicle accessory assembly adapted for mounting on an interior panel, such as on a visor, for example, includes an accessory device, such as a vanity mirror or mirror-and-light assembly, interconnected with the visor or other vehicle panel at a generally fixed location thereon. A preferred laterally sliding accessory door is interconnected with the vehicle visor or other interior vehicle panel for selective lateral movement between a closed position wherein the accessory device is substantially covered and an open position wherein the accessory device is substantially exposed. A switch device is preferably provided for electrically energizing a light or other electrical component in response to movement of the accessory door from its closed to its open position, and a manually operable override feature is also preferably provided in the event that the user wishes to disable the switch device so as to prevent such energization in response to such opening movement of the door.
In at least some of the preferred embodiments, a disconnect feature is provided for disconnecting the accessory assembly when the visor is pivoted upwardly to its "stored" position (or when the other interior panel is moved to a predetermined position) in order to prevent the light or other electrical component from being energized when not in use while the accessory door is left open. Furthermore, an accessory frame preferably conducts light from one part of the accessory device to another without the need for electrical interconnection therebetween. This feature especially contributes to the up-scaled appearance of the assembly, along with the laterally slidable (non-pivoting) door arrangement.
Additional objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.